After
by Ellyn162
Summary: It was just your classic story of the boy next door. You see, I've known him my whole life. He was my right-hand-man, my best friend. Somewhere along the way, he started becoming more. My soul mate. My true other half. And now, he might be dead.
1. The Discovery

_Note: Takes place after MAX (and before FANG)_

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Chapter One: The Discovery

It was just your classic story of the boy next door… well maybe with a little twist. You see, I've known him my whole life. At the School, our cages were placed right next to each other. Once we escaped, he was my right-hand-man, my best friend. Somewhere along the way, he started becoming more. My soul mate. My true other half. And now, he might be dead.

o.O.O.O.o

"_Fang!_" I screamed, running wildly towards the crumpled heap in which he lay. He was a fallen angel- that is, if angels wore all-black. He was beautiful despite being gravely injured. His limbs were bent in unnatural positions; his usually sleek, black wings were crushed beneath him.

"Not Fang, not Fang, not Fang," I repeated over and over to myself as I sunk to my knees on the cold, hard concrete. He was out cold and struggling for breath. He looked as though he was just barely holding on. He needed help. Soon.

The others were just now catching up. As the Flock swarmed around us, I jumped into action.

"Iggy! Help me lift him- we've _got_ to get him back!" I commanded, my voice noticeably distraught. "Nudge! Fly ahead and get Mom!" They obeyed without question.

Angel and Gazzy stood off to the side, watching. Angel, who was an unusually stoic seven-year-old, was crying quietly. These kids have gone through so much and it takes something major, _like this,_ I thought to myself, to shake them up. Of course, seeing Fang like this was a shock to us all, especially now that we _weren't_ currently running for our lives.

With some difficulty, Iggy and I lifted Fang's limp and broken body from the ground and rose awkwardly into the air. Nudge was already on her way home, and Gazzy and Angel took our lead, following us up into the cloudless sky.

"Do you think he'll be ok?" I heard Gazzy whisper to Angel.

"I don't know," Angel replied. "Max seems really worried." No, really? Was it _that_ obvious? (Note the sarcasm.) Well, she _was_ a mind reader after all...

"I'm sure he'll be fine, sweetie," I reassured them, even though I had no idea. _Why Fang? Why does it always have to be Fang?_ I wondered, wishing it were otherwise. I looked down at his beautiful face, which was beginning to turn kind of lumpy. His lip was swollen and bleeding, he was starting to get a black eye, and he had a long, jagged cut along his cheek. His dark shaggy hair was tangled and matted; plastered to his forehead with sweat. His breathing was still labored. "Who _did_ this to you?" I murmured.

"Ok guys, this is it," I said in a stronger voice, mostly to Iggy, as we neared my mom and Ella's house. I glanced at Iggy, whose sightless eyes were concerned, worried. So was I. Mom was waiting for us just outside the back door. Nudge and Ella were close beside, talking in hushed tones.

A moan escaped Fang's lips as he was jostled by our not-so-gentle landing. I tried to stay calm for the kids, but it just about killed me seeing him this way. I was practically screaming inside. Mom rushed toward us, worried as well. Still carrying him, Iggy and I took him inside and laid him on his bed in the room he was sharing with Iggy and Gazzy. _God, just let Fang live. Let him be ok,_ I prayed silently. Although I've never really believed in a God, if one was gonna show up, now would definitely be the time.

I held Fang's hand as she examined him. He looked pretty bad to me, but he has had worse. Like when Ari kicked his butt at that beach in Virginia. I thought we were gonna lose him. If we didn't take him to the hospital… I shuddered, remembering. Now he was hanging in there, and for that I was grateful.

"How is he?" I asked Mom. "Will he be ok?" My voice was frantic.

"I _think_ he'll be ok," she responded after an impossibly long second.

Boy, was I relieved to hear _that_. I started to cry harder, weird, I know. But this time, they were tears of joy. I wasn't going to lose him.

"I can't be sure though," she continued. "It just looks worse than it really is. I'll have to do some X-rays, but I think his arm and leg are broken too. And his wings. It looks like he fell on them quite hard..." That was nothing, as long as he was going to live. Plus, we do heal quickly.

"But when can he fly?" I asked, my concern getting the best of me.

"I don't know, a few months? As long as it takes for the bones to heal," she replied. So really like only a week or two.

I looked up to see Ella and the rest of the Flock huddled in the doorframe. "She thinks he'll be ok," I informed them, smiling through my tears, "but he might have broken his arm and leg. And his wings are pretty messed up too, so it looks like he won't be flying for a while, but then again, he'll be up and about in no time." A chorus of relieved sighs ran through them as my words sank in.

o.O.O.O.o

Fang stirred as my mom was almost through bandaging him up. Even though his wounds weren't nearly as bad as they looked, the thought of seeing him in pain, of losing him, scared the hell out of me.

"Hey," I said, smiling. The dried tears made it feel like my face was cracking.

"Hey," he said, as his gorgeous, dark eyes found mine, making my heart skip a few beats.

"You scared the hell outta me," I told him, my voice far more controlled than it had been moments ago, yet still full of emotion.

"Sorry," he mumbled, smiling slightly at my tone.

"So what happened?" I asked, worried.

"That should be good," my mom interrupted before Fang could even get a word out. "Stay in bed and give yourself time to heal- you'll be fine. We'll take you to get X-rays tomorrow." Turning to face me, she continued, smiling, "And since my work here is done, I think I'll leave you two alone." Her voice was thick with implications.


	2. The Attack

Chapter Two: The Attack

Fang's POV

I needed to think. As much as I enjoyed staying at Dr. Martinez's house, nothing could replace the vast, blue skies and the sense of peace that came with flying, that is when we weren't escaping evil mutants. Or listening to Gazzy sing the constipation song, for that matter.

I slipped silently out the back door. It was morning, but everyone was still asleep. Okay, so I guess it was still pretty early, but hey, what can I tell ya? I'm a morning person.

Taking a few running steps, I unfurled my wings, and _yes!_ I was flying. So I wouldn't be recognized, as a flying-bird-kid that is, I flew at a high altitude, soaring over the houses, feeling perfectly at ease. The skies were so clear I could see everything within a ten-mile radius. Which is why, when they appeared so suddenly before me, I was shocked.

There were about nine or ten of them, hovering in the air, effectively creating a wall in front of me. I shifted my gaze and found, to my utter dismay, that just as many were behind me, ending any hope of escape.

They were huge. And I'm talking several feet larger than me, and at 6'4", I'm not exactly what you'd call tiny. I was hovering too, now, trapped. As they neared, I noticed the sun glinting off their almost metallic skin. _Great_, I thought sarcastically,_ not only am I outnumbered, but they are fully armored._ But they weren't robots, that much I was sure. Their eyes were… I gasped… human. By now, you'd think that I'd be used to it. Heck, I was one of them. However, I couldn't help but be disgusted at what these people would do to create a decent army. These, too, were mutants. They looked like some odd combination of reptile, bird, and human, but they were mutants all the same.

But they weren't like us. I locked eyes with the one directly in front of me, and he spoke in a flat, dead voice, "Where is Max?"

"I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about," I said, playing dumb, "but if I see him, I'll let you know." Boy, would Max give me heck if she knew I called her a "him," but most people would think Max was a guy's name, right?

It looked confused by my response, so I took the opportunity and dive-bombed. I lost altitude fast. Before I could get too close to the impending ground below, I took off and started to fly as fast as I could. I didn't get far. Faster than I would have ever thought possible, they had me surrounded. They didn't look too happy.

The one who had previously spoken, clearly the leader, flew close to me until he was inches from my face. He spoke again, this time, with a trace of hatred and anger in his dead voice, "I asked you before. Where is she?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, my voice dripping with a hatred of my own- _Like I was gonna tell him!_ As soon as the words left my mouth, he slapped me across the face. As if the initial sting wasn't enough, I felt his clawed fingers pierce my skin, slicing my cheek as he dragged his hand away. I dropped several feet in the air before I recovered, catching myself. Once again, they lost altitude as well, following my every move.

I'd had it. I attacked him, punching him full in the face. However, years of fighting Erasers had not prepared me for this- it was like hitting a brick wall. I felt several bones shatter. Immediately, I was dragged off him by one of the others. I struggled against his iron grasp, but it was of no use. He was too strong.

They continued to beat me, asking again and again where Max was, and each time I would lie and say that I didn't know. If they _ever _found her… I shuddered.

Then they were gone… and I was... falling. I realized that when I was mere feet from the ground, already too late. I shook out my wings, trying vainly to stay aloft. I managed only to slow my fall. I landed hard, crushing my wings beneath me on the cement. The pain was unbearable, but I was too weak to move…

Through the fog, I heard a voice. "_Fang!_" it screamed. _Max_, I thought, as I went under.

o.O.O.O.o

Max's POV

As soon as I woke up, I knew that something was not right. In the bed next to me, Ella was still sleeping. I crept out quietly into the hallway so I would not wake her. I poked my head into the boys' room. Fang was missing. Part of me, my rational side, realized that he was probably safe, out flying, perhaps. But in my gut, I knew the truth was far worse.

"Iggy," I whispered as I woke him. "Where's Fang?" I asked.

"I dunno," he replied groggily. As he took in my alarmed voice, the frantic look in my eyes, he immediately became alert. "I'll wake the others," he offered.

"Thanks," I said. I wasted no time. I dashed through the house; already sprinting faster than any Olympic runner by the time I unfurled my wings and leapt into the air.

I scoured the cloudless sky, but it did not take long for me to realize that he wasn't there. Part of me had already known he wouldn't be, but I had hoped. I turned my focus to the ground. Still no Fang.

That's when I saw him. I landed without a second thought. He lay in a heap in the middle of a basketball court. _Oh no, not _"_FANG!_" I screamed.

o.O.O.O.o

Fang's POV

When I woke, her face was the first thing I saw. I was acutely aware of Dr. Martinez poking and prodding, tending to my various wounds, but as far as I was concerned, Max was the only thing that mattered.

"Hey," she said, managing to smile. Her eyes were red along the rims. She had been crying.

"Hey," I replied, gazing into her beautiful, chocolate-brown, yet still somewhat bloodshot, eyes. I heard her breath catch.

"You scared the hell outta me," she stated simply, although her voice burned with a new emotion.

"Sorry," I mumbled, smiling sheepishly, as I continued to hold her gaze.

"So what happened?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

Before I could answer, Dr. Martinez interrupted, "That should be good. Stay in bed and give yourself some time to heal- you'll be fine. We'll take you to get X-rays tomorrow." Turning to face Max, she continued with a smile, "And since my work here is done, I think I'll leave you two alone." _Huh_, I thought, _maybe she wasn't so clueless._


	3. What Happened

Chapter Three: What Happened

I turned back to face Fang as my mom exited the room, ever so subtly closing the door behind her. His sheepish grin mirrored my own. "How are you feeling?" I asked him, my previous question forgotten.

"I'm ok," was his response.

"Oh, come on. You _can't_ be serious," I replied incredulously. "You look like _crap_. Your arm and leg, and by the looks of it, your hand," I continued, gesturing to the swollen, discolored mass that was his right hand. I was still holding on to his left one which remained thankfully uninjured, "are broken. _God knows how damaged your wings are_, not to mention the cuts and bruises covering nearly every inch of your body. You _can't_ tell me you're not in pain."

"I've had worse," he replied simply. That was Fang for you, hiding his feelings as always. I guess I shouldn't be complaining- I'm not that much better than he is when it comes to showing signs of weakness. We were all pretty tough. We had to be. I used to be able to count on one hand the times the Flock had seen me cry, but lately, it seems as though I've run out of fingers.

We fell into a companionable silence, both lost in our own thoughts. Neither of us felt the need to fill every break in conversation with words, unlike _some_ people or should I say bird kids, I know.

"Max," Fang began, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" I murmured as he pulled me out of my thoughts.

"I need to talk to you… about what happened," he continued, sounding almost unsure. Hesitant.

"What _did_ happen, Fang? Are you all right?" I asked, worried again.

"_I'm_ fine…" he said cautiously. Making it sound like someone undoubtedly wasn't.

"Then _who_?" I asked in confusion, my concern escalating at the seemingly endless possibilities. What if they were after my mother again? Or Ella? Or what if it was Gazzy next? Iggy? Nudge? Angel? I shuddered at the thought of them touching my little girl. Even though she's tough, there's no way she could last as long as Fang. She'd probably be fine as long as she could control their minds and make them turn on each other or commit suicide, but it was still hard to envision all the same.

"_You_, Max. You."

_Oh_, was all I could think. I couldn't say I was surprised, really. Wanting to capture the ever-so-special Maximum Ride has been a reoccurring theme throughout my fifteen years of existence. Better me than the rest of my flock, though. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to them… But I wouldn't go down without a fight, which meant they'd probably get dragged into it too… No, I could not let that happen.

"Max? You okay?" He asked, not sounding that okay himself.

"Yeah," I responded, hiding my doubts. He knew me so well that I'm sure he could see through my lie, but he didn't call me on it. "Tell me what happened, Fang. Everything."

And so he did. He told me of the seemingly invincible army of mutants, how their voices were dead, lifeless. How he wouldn't turn me over to them, no matter how much they beat him.

o.O.O.O.o

"Fang?" I asked a few minutes after he finished.

"What?" He responded sleepily.

I chickened out. "Do you think one of Gaz and Ig's bombs would do the trick and take some of them out?"

"I dunno, maybe," he replied thoughtfully.

We fell back into silence.

"Fang?" I tried again.

"Yeah?" he said, sensing my discomfort.

"Why'd you do it? Not give me away, I mean. I could've taken care of myself," I continued, immediately regretting it.

He looked at me as if it was obvious. "_Max_," he answered, his voice softening. "How could I live with myself if I let them take you?"

"You'd do just fine without me," I mumbled, wanting to believe his words. I mean sure, we were sort of together now, but did he really love me so much that he would be willing to sacrifice himself in order to keep me safe?

"No, Max. You still don't get it. I wouldn't."

Before I could reply, not that I had a witty comeback ready, for I was still processing his words; he pulled me closer with the hand I was still holding tight.

When we were merely inches from each other, he whispered, "I love _you_._ Max_." Then, somehow, our lips met. He kissed me gently, and though I felt him wince in pain, he did not pull away.


End file.
